Day 11 - Spring Flowers and Donkeys on the Way : Bonneval Abbey to Estaing

Today began very early, when the abbey bells woke us up at 5:00am. We got up and went to Vigils in the church at 5:30, which was sung by six nuns. The church was very simple, and it had amazing acoustics! It was a magical experience to sit in the church and watch the sun rise through the windows behind the alter. The entire abbey had such an air of peace and quiet, it was difficult to leave. Though I have to admit to being somewhat unnerved at having to remain completely silent throughout our stay and the services.

We were given breakfast by ourselves in the abbey, which was the usual baguettes and jam, but it was accompanied by the most amazing drinking chocolate I have ever tasted!  After this we began the hike back out of the valley.  The fantastic views and the cool morning air made walking quite enjoyable, and we took the feeling of peace from the abbey with us.

We reached Espalion around 9:30, and stopped to mail some chocolate to my grandmother (who supported our camino), and to have a welcome coffee.

Then we headed out of town along the Lot river, which was considerably higher and faster moving than it was yesterday afternoon. We passed a parking lot which said it provided floodable parking spots, and along the wall of the adjacent buildings were flood markers, the most recent of which (2003) was above the top of the doors - a good 10 ft above street level.

On the way out of town we passed a very friendly donkey who liked his ears being rubbed.

Then we crossed through a bit of construction, and almost immediately afterwards came upon the Eglise St-Pierre in Bessuejouls. This was an old Romanesque church with a chapel located up the tower, which was reached by a very narrow winding staircase. It was extremely beautiful and well worth the climb!

After this the path began an extremely steep climb up a red clay track. This was pretty tough going, and not made any easier by the lack of breeze, but at least it wasn't raining. I think this climb would have been extremely difficult if the trail was transformed into a river of mud. Again, despite the heat, one finds things to be grateful for on the Camino.

After another 6.3 km of relatively easy walking through rural areas, including meadows full of spring flowers and flowing grasses, we stopped at a very nice picnic and rest area outside Tredou. There was an interesting church there, and outside a covered area which provided some shade, a water fountain, and a public washroom.

After a brief break in Beauregard, we easily made the 2.5 km walk along the road to Verrieres. This was an extremely beautiful village, and it had a cafe in a lovely shaded garden, where we stopped for ice cream. Resting here as well was a family at another table in the garden which had four small children and were walking the Camino with two donkeys, which were tethered outside.

 

After Verrieres it was a fairly easy walk along the road and through a small forested stretch into Estaing. This town is very impressive to someone from North America, because it is dominated by the Estaing residence, which looks like a fortified castle.

The rest of the town has narrow cobblestone streets, slate roofs, and an old Roman bridge. Very picaresque. As the guidebook says, it has been voted one of the most beautiful towns in France. Although the guidebook says this about many towns, it might well be right about this one!

After checking into our gite we walked around the town, visited the church, and took a tour of the Estaing residence.  The building is slowly being renovated, and there are plaques explaining which decade various sections date from.  The history of the building and the family were both very interesting.

After our tour of the residence we had dinner at a small restaurant downtown, and then wandered around the town as the sun set and the lights came on.  It was a very beautiful place, and a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

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Practical Information:

Max Temperature: 24˚C

Accommodations: Gite d'Etape Saint Christophe